332 



FIRST AID TO THE INJURED 



helped by pressing in and down on the ribs and chest 

 and allowing the chest to expand by its own elasticity. 

 Artificial Respiration. The process just described is 

 one form of artificial respiration, and may in some cases 

 be effective. If the desired results are not soon obtained, 

 place the patient on his back with a pad (a roll of cloth- 

 ing will do) under the back just below the shoulders, 

 so as to raise the pit of the stomach. The patient's 

 tongue should be drawn out and held by an assistant, 

 or, it should be fastened against the lower teeth by 

 a rubber band passing under the chin or clasped be- 

 tween the patient's teeth, the lower jaw being held up 

 by a bandage tied over the head. Grasp the forearms 

 half way between the elbows and wrists, and draw the 

 arms back rather quickly but steadily in vertical planes 

 until they meet above the patient's head, as in Fig. 1, 

 and hold them thus for 2 sec. This motion draws the 

 ribs up, expands the chest, and air- enters. Now bring 

 the arms back to the sides of the body, and press firmly 



FIG. 2 



on the sides and front of the chest over the lower ribs, 

 as in Fig. 2; the object of this movement is to contract 

 the chest and force the air out ot the lungs. If enough 

 assistants are present, one can stand astride the patient 

 and press firmly against the sides and top of the chest 



